I was very disappointed- don't waste your money- there are no "tricks here!

Don't let the title mislead you. There's nothing ... about it (except for the price.) This gem contains some very valuable information. I normally read mostly history, so I'm not into "fluff." Dr. Buffington combines the science of psychology with practical lessons one will find useful whether one is currently in a relationship or still looking. Dr. Buff's delightfully witty and concise writing style make this book loads of fun to read. You'll breeze right through it and then want to keep it nearby for reference. I've bought extra copies as gifts for friends who also loved it.

I saw Dr. Buff on "The Other Half" for the Valentine's episode and immediately went to Amazon.com to buy the book. It is amusing but factual and helpful. It won't replace counseling, but it is guaranteed to spice up your love life - if you dare! I highly recommend it if you're looking to add a new perspective to your relationship or if you're looking to get into one. Reading this book will make you more attractive to the opposite sex :))

Last year my class and I put up a play as a special school assignment for the Norwegian subject. We chose "The Bird-Lovers". I won't pretend that it's an easy play, because then I would be lying... but it's a play that becomes a part of you, it makes you think.

As you travel to the small Italian village in the district of Torre Rosse you get to know the hunters and the bird-lovers You meet Caruso, Rosa, Piccolino, Cavalli, Marco, Fidele and Sandro. They are the partsans who fought against the Germans during the war, and who suffered because of it. Thus when the German bird-lovers come to form a paradise for the birds they do what they can to stop them and bring the old judge to justice.

It's a play about capitalism, racism, injustice and women's rights, and frankly it is one of the finest plays ever written. If you're in need of quotations to use of any occasion this is the play. Any remark'll do. And the poetry is amazing. I guess "Song to Hiroshima" is the most known one but the rest is great as well.

As I said. It is a great play and we really enjoyed putting it on. It gave us something, still 30/40 years after it was written. Enjoy.

A group of Germans want to turn a small Italian village into a tourist haven for birdwatchers. This would require the natives to give up their habit of hunting and eating songbirds. Meanwhile the the natives--who were former partisans during World War II--recognize some of the Germans as their old Nazi oppressors. Bjorneboe makes surrealistic use of this situation to examine the dynamics of economic globalization in a way which hits even harder today than when the play first appeared in 1966. The Bird Lovers is that rara avis, a musical with a totally original plot. It is to be regretted that the translator did not attempt metrical translations of the songs, leaving us without a stageable version of a play which richly deserves to be known in the English-speaking world.

The author is Norwegian, and wrote a book in the 60's that was banned until the early 90's!

This is an ok book. I suspect it would have been more enjoyable and understandable if I had read the other two first. The romance between Patrick and Mona was nicely done. BUT, my biggest problem with the book is that it is disjointed. Example - Ridley (Mona's evil stepson) is fine looking (though crazy)and then a few pages later, one side of his face is all melted (Huh? WHEN did THAT happen?). There is no explanation until later. Face is fine, then it is burned. There are several other instances of this and I found this to be very frustrating. Everything makes sence by the end of the book and all loose ends are neatly tied. I will not be buying the first two books in the series though. I might get them from the Library, but I would not spend the money on buying them.

Jen Holling has written a wonderful story of love and intrigue, full of excitement. I found it hard to put down. She brought 16th century Scotland to life. The feud between the Graham's and Maxwell's was well plotted. I only wish there was a fourth book in the Brides of the Bloodstone Trilogy. I highly recommend this book.

After enjoying the first two books, TEMPTED BY YOUR TOUCH and TAMED BY YOUR DESIRE,in the BRIDES OF THE BLOODSTONE trilogy, I was pleasantly surprised that Holling's books just keep getting better! As I came to know and love the characters I dreaded the book coming to an end. The passion portrayed between Mona and Patrick kept me turning pages late into the night. I was on edge throughout the entire book waiting to see what evil Ridley would dish out next. I was thrilled with the conclusion, all of the details from the previoius novels were tied up beautifully. Holling writes the fantasy that romance readers are looking for; mystical and romantic, with evil in hot pursuit of the hero and heroines happiness.
I look forward to more historical fantasy from this most talented author!

Based on two reviews this book looked really good, so I rushed to buy it, but fortunately I have found it in a public library, so I read it and... It's complete disappointment. This brick covers lots of stuff, but despite author's promises isn't that useful. First of all, as a new to Illustrator (but not to computer graphics and vector editing software) I expected to find all the tools explained. And maybe they are, the problem is, author mentions their names without letting me know how to find them. What a bummer. Every new tool and searching through the menus and toolbox icons is unavoidable. Furthermore, tools are first described in main part of the books, but then different info is presented in separate section on the end, where they are groupped by menu or toolbox location. What looks like a great idea doesn't work in practice. So which explanation is better? And why am I forced to go the the end to find the tool being described? Besides those descriptions sometimes fail to deliver the essence: how to use them effectively and create sophisticated effects. I want to know how to use it and not only what it does. Also, it looks promising having well over 800 pages. But then you'll find there such contemplations as why it's inappropriate to call tilde key a tilde key and why author does call it tilde key. Very interesting and valuable observation.
This book could be fine to check an Illustrator detail that sliped away your memory, but not as a textbook.

As a professional web and print designer who uses Illustrator, and the author of beginning level Illustrator books and videos, I'm intimately familiar with advanced level Illustrator books. To date, SE Using Illustrator 9 is the most complete, thorough, and clear advanced level AI 9 book available.

I'll back up the author's response to the critical reviewer who really wanted a beginner level book. Look elsewhere for an intro level book or a set of tutorials. There are good ones available :)

For a detailed, accurate, nuanced explanation of an esoteric transparency mask effect or to trouble-shoot Illustrator's weirdly concocted graph generator, I've learned to grab this book off my shelf first, and leave the others alone.

I often find SE Using books too encyclopedic, and - at their worst - boring detailed and embellished rehashes of program documentation. In the case of Illustrator, with it's multiple paths (sorry - a new age Illustrator pun) to accomplishing many effects, I kind of appreciate an encyclopedic approach. And the documentation and online help features *need* elaboration!

I was also grateful, as a vector-centric designer, that I didn't have to sift through gratuitous PhotoShop references, or "start from scratch" explanations of the logic of vector curves.

If the book has a shortcoming, it is the lack of complex project models and a CD or Web site with projects to deconstruct. The few mini-tutorials I encountered were functional demonstrations of features, but not quite "real world" examples of Illustrator projects. The (seemingly undercredited) contributing author has a background that compliments the lead author's, but it might have been helpful to bring in an professional illustrator as well. Still, the book doesn't claim to be "Illustrator Magic" or "New Masters of Illustrator". The illustrations are not going to stretch your designer right-brain envelope, but they are clear, useful, and reasonably aesthetic.

Finally, I appreciate the no frills writing style of this book. Beth Millett and Heather Banner Kane are giants in the world of graphic design book acquisitions and editing, and their influence is apparent in the approach. I bought this book as a technical reference, not for chatty stories about the author's connections at Adobe, or for late night entertainment. As the cop on Dragnet used to say, "just the facts."

Special Edition Using Adobe Illustrator 9 is the complete tutorial/reference for those new to Illustrator as well as those seeking tips and tricks for using Illustrator more productively, from keyboard shortcuts to advanced features. Today's multi-purpose design work often requires the use of multiple applications for print and Web output, and Illustrator integrates seamlessly with other Adobe products to enable designers to create once but publish many times, in many places. Special Edition Using Adobe Illustrator 9 provides complete coverage of Adobe Illustrator, including version 9's new features and tools. Intermediate - Advanced, 800pp.

In-depth interviews with several Photoshop artists, well-planned tutorials and graphical screen grabs, and source-packed CD-ROM are just but a few of the features this great book offers. I have just scratched the surface, and I am very pleased with purchasing this book. The artists share what and who influence their work in detail, and share their views on how they bring their own voice to their work. I buy many books on Photoshop, and this has to be one of the most useful and inspiring books on Photoshop. Worth every cent.

As the name implies, New Masters of Photoshop is a prolific resource that combines the unique talents and techniques of 19 modern masters of Photoshop.

The book contains over 500 full-color pages and is beautifully organized, making it as engaging as it is informative. New Masters of Photoshop is not a manual: it will not teach you how to use Photoshop. It will, however, engage you, inspire you and motivate you. The book is also accompanied by a CD that contains interviews, source files and unflattened Photoshop documents.

Even after you've read the entire book, tried all the tutorials and mastered all the techniques, you'll still find it to be a tireless repository of creative ideas and a great source of inspiration.

This is the book that the Photoshop community has been waiting for! If you buy just one book this year, make it the New Masters of Photoshop.

This book is very helpful to people who know something about Photoshop already. What makes it different is that you are designing through the eyes of a usually good designer and learning step by step how to acheive interesting results by recreating their own works. Each designer is different so you learn to attack the same type of problems from different angles. Some of the designers ramble on in their introductions, but once you get past that it's smooth sailing. This is not your usual tutorial book so try to do 2 to 3 exercises per week. I leaned alot about Photoshop from this book and I use it as a reference for techniques quite often.

Ok, I'm sorry, but I gotta tell you this book is way out of date and doesn't have very many low-budget ideas. I made myself read this book cover to cover because I really needed to learn some lighting techniques fast. Well, when I was finished, I was impressed with the author and her friend's work, but I didn't know much more than I did before picking up the book.

It's almost as if the author has put together a personal portfolio accompanied with some bragging and some stories. The thing that bothers me is that the title "The Lighting Cookbook" seems to suggest that it's like a reference guide for the average Joe that's easy to use, like a real cookbook. Not so. I don't know how many times I've flipped through this book looking for a "recipe" to use for my lighting needs and I always end up putting it back on the shelf.

The "recipes" are too specific and based on things that most people will never do. When's the next time you plan on shooting some pictures of beakers filled with green liquid on top of a piece of plexiglass? Never you say? Ah, too bad because it's covered in this book.

The reason I said this book is out of date is because most people (that aren't stuck in the past) are moving on to digital. We're not using these insanely expensive "view cameras" that only big companies can afford. I've got a top of the line prosumer digital camera and there's not much in this book that even applies to shooting pictures with a regular camera.

The cameras that they use are not the only rediculously expensive items. The lighting equiptment that they use in all the indoor recipes are equally out of the question for most people. It would cost thousands and thousands of dollars to buy the "ingredients" to these recipes. A photographer like the author probably doesn't have any problem affording this equiptment because she's a pro, but what about your middle class audience?

I'd like to say that I really hate to be negative about anything. I like to give everything I'm reading the benifit of the doubt. That's why I read this whole book. When I finished, I placed it on my shelf and it pisses me off every time I look at it. Today, when I typed in "lighting" and it came up as one of the three most popular, I had to say something because I know that regular people like me are buying this book because they think it has the answers to their questions. Well, my friend it doesn't and I just thought I'd warn you.

As I finish this review I find myself asking a certain question. Who is this book for? It's not for regular people or beginners, because they don't need to take glamour shots of jewelry. So, I started to think that maybe it was for people that own a photography business and own all of this expensive equiptment, but wouldn't a professional photographer who owns their own business already know how to use their own equiptment? I don't know. Maybe it's for rich people that own a hundred thousand dollars worth of equiptment, but don't know how to use any of it and have no creativity.

Since reading this book, I've gone on to learn way more by flipping through catelogs and websites.

Let me say that I do give this book two stars instead of one because it features some great inspirational photography and is probably useful to some small group of people out there.

If you are interested in doing mainly portrait photography, but need to learn more about how to properly and effectively do lighting setups, this book is an excellent place to start. The book has several diagrams of exactly how the lights were setup, along with actual photographs that were taken using each setup.

It talks briefly about how to deal with different types of people, and includes a short part on photographing pets as well. There are also sections on lighting still life photography, although this is not the main focus of the book. If people portraits are what you are interested in doing, this book will be an excellent reference. However if you are more interested in photographing still lifes or pets, I'd recommend that you either find another book, or use this in addition to another resource.

It took the mystery out of how pro's do that amazing lighting. I feel like my photographs have improved 100% .

I found this book VERY good. I like to read books dealing with the subject matter of Anorexia and Bulimia since I too struggle with those disorders.

This book is well written and really shows the complexity of the disease. The main character Ashley is truely troubled. Her character is written honestly and with an intensity that's refreshing. The disease is not pretty coated and shows you how the disease can take over your life and make you only focous on the disease and not every day occurences. Though I am not super religous I find that books dealing with this subject and religon do some of the best jobs in getting into a character's mind who has anorexia or bulmia. I also really recomend When is Perfect, Perfect Enough it's number six in a series called "Flag Pole Girls" That book is one of my favorites.

This book is good. It talks about the concerns some struggles that Young Latter Day Saints may have. It talks about battling problems and coming out the better person.

Roy Appleman started working on this book when he was a combat historian in the US Army during the Korean War and continued into the 80s. By examining military records and interviewing many of the participants at all levels, he brings a great deal of detail to bear on a narrow focus: the experiences of the United States Eighth Army (with attached Turkish, British, and South Korean units) in the Korean War from November 24th, 1950 to December 26th,1950.

That detail can be mindnumbing at times, especially for a life-long civilian like me. A large portion of this book is taken up with such details as when x platoon detached from Company Y to occupy Hill Z. Appleman tries to be as clear as possible and substitutes organizing his history around units for a straight chronological telling of events. On occasion, he stops to remind us what is happening elsewhere simultaneous to the events he is covering or backtracks to place things in context. There are plenty of maps, many of them detailed, but the book could have used even more.

The book doesn't start to get really interesting until about half way through when Appleman takes up the harrowing retreat of the 2nd Infantry Division from Kunu-ri. This account, even more than the rest of the book, is drawn from post-combat interviews since most of the official records were lost. It tells of an approximately six mile retreat, done by some units at night in subzero temperatures, down a narrow road while under enemy fire from both sides. It is an example of confused command, bad coordination between units, and courage and cowardice.

After the retreat from Kunu-ri, we get the details of Operation Bug-Out, its unofficial title in some quarters, when the UN forces fled approximately 300 miles south of their most northernly positions in Korea.

All this detail, while boring at times, is sometimes quite informative to those unacquainted with the details of military logistics. I gleaned, in passing, some understanding of how advances and retreats are planned, the intricacies of the quartermaster's work, and the coordination of artillery support with the infantry.

As you would expect from the author of the US Army's offical history of the first five months of the Korean War, this book is also partially intended as a case study for professional military men. Appleman criticizes the actions of everyone from the Joint Chiefs of Staff and MacArthur to the behavior of privates. He restates the frequent criticism that MacArthur's notion of reunifying Korea was foolish. Korea's border with China was unpatrollable by the forces MacArthur had to say nothing of his misreading of Chinese intention and capabilities. The Joint Chiefs of Staff should have denied MacArthur permission to advance to the Chinese border. Appleman also notes a general lack of ground reconnaisance to scout out the disposition of Chinese forces before and after their second offensive. It was failure to maintain contact with the enemy which was partially responsible for the decision not to form a defensive line at the waist of Korea in December 1950 even though the Chinese did not, indeed could not, follow the retreating forces.

On the mid-levels of command, Appleman also notes problems. In the withdrawal from Kunu-ri, Colonel Freeman's controversial decision not to perform a rearguard action for the retreating column is covered. Appleman sees it as a breakdown in coordination and the chain of command. Appleman also notes how General Walker had units in reserve but did not use them in a northward attack to clear the Chinese roadblock between Sunchon and Kunu-ri. He mentions, but has no explanation for, the British Middlesex Battalion's failure to support the retreat as ordered.

On the lowest levels, Appleman notes a general lack of discipline, with some notable exceptions, about maintaining supplies and equipment and also armor units failing to support infantry in clearing Chinese from the sides of the Kunu-ri-Sunchon road.

Appleman also stresses that his account corrects two misconceptions in the history of the Korean War. Chinese General Lin Piao, a legendary figure from the Long March, did not lead troops in the second Chinese offensive of the war, and the Chinese did not exploit a gap between the Eighth Army and the X Corps. Rather, they punched a whole in the front and exploited it.

Military professionals and veterans of the events covered should find this book valueable. Casual readers of military history will find parts slow going, but the book should ultimately reward their attention.

The Eighth Army's retreat from Northwest Korea after the invasion of the Chinese Army in 1950 is a difficult event to understand because of the simultaneous occurrence of many interconnected battles. Appleman's treatment of these events brings clarity to the overall picture, and brings into sharp relief the command failures and inconsistencies which exacerbated the defeat of U.S. forces. Unanswered in Appleman's detailed treatment, however, is the question of why the Eighth Army failed to carry out its declared intention to establish a defensive line north of Pyongyang. Instead, the Army seemed to lose all coherence and fall back in a panicked rush until it was well below the 38th parallel, long after it had lost contact with the advancing Chinese. Appleman's harsh evaluation of Col. Paul Freeman's decision to withdraw his regiment by the coast road is also somewhat controversial, although I must say that after reading Appleman's account of the sequence of events it is hard to disagree with his conclusion.

The author's shameless self-promotion on this page aside, this novel is woefully dreary and bland. If this is the caliber of novel nominated for a Stoker Award, I weep for the future of the horror genre.

To even label this a horror novel is a misnomer. "The Blues Ain't Nothin'" is a poorly sewn together collection of short 'ghost' stories with the intent of being a scary novel. It doesn't succeed. The characters are barely two-dimensional, yet alone three dimensional. The prose is lost in a morass of marginal grammar and insipid tangental thoughts.

Blues references throughout the novel are meant to impress the reader with a 'look-at-me-I-know-what-the-blues-are' attitude. This fails totally and is insulting to true blues officianados. The last word of this novel's title is indicative of what the author knows of the blues: "Nothin'."

To be fair, perhaps the author will grow as a writer in future endeavors. Everyone is entitled to first novel jitters. Perhaps in a completely different genre this novel may have flourished. As horror, it didn't.

Don't be fooled by raves here from family and friends. Save your hard earned money on something with a little more substance and depth. Or, look in the Salvation Army book drop for a used copy.

One star for a pretty nifty looking cover. I can't say much for the interior.

I'm pleased to announce that THE BLUES AIN'T NOTHIN' has just been nominated for two awards:

The 2003 Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel, given by the Horror Writers Association

The 2003 International Horror Guild Award for Best First Novel, given by the IHG's panel of judges

All best,
Tina Jens (author)

I suppose if you can buy the premise of a haunted bar where spooks sit in with the band and even buss tables, the rest of this gently-skewed world will fall right into place. Not being a Blues expert myself, I appreciated all the bits of Blues history that's not-at-all incidental to this story. And if I couldn't exactly see why a ghostly band needs a "real" sound system, I'm sure I'll get it after another round of drinks. Or two This is a *very* thirsty book, and you may not even enjoy reading it in daylight, particularly in the morning. BLUES AIN'T NOTHIN' just is *not* a morning story.

As a native Chicagoan, I'm always partial to Windy-City stories, and this author's got geography down as well as her music scene. I assumed she'd invented the protagonist's mother's home-town in rural Illinois, but... nope! It's right there on the map.

This episodic novel feels like... the first of a series. Now that Miss Mustang (Sally, of course!) has come into her own, I look forward to *more* tales of the Lonesome Blues Pub. There is a strong thread of continuity in both negative and positive directions throughout BLUES AIN'T NOTHIN' -- a strong community built on musical heritage, yes; but human struggles and pains that go on day by day. Some are healed, but some endure throughout a lifetime, and some persist beyond the grave.

BUY and READ this book! and sing/play/moan/holler the BLUES!

I used this guide on a recent and very enjoyable sojourn in Kauai. While I enjoyed the guide's expertise on Hawaiian history and culture and the information on the hidden beaches, I felt that the author does a great disservice to his readers when he equates budget or affordable dining and lodging options as very basic while dubbing very expensive options as "ultra-deluxe." Hawaii can be very expensive, but paying a lot of money for a hotel room or a restaurant dinner does not automatically insure that one receives ultra-deluxe treatment. Often the same thing can be had at a more affordable price by looking around--the information a reputable travel guide is supposed to give. Paying 40 dollars for a restaurant entree--something all too easy to do when eating at a resort restaurant on the island--often provides no better quality food than eating at a cheap but good restaurant. Look for places full of happy locals as opposed to tourists. The expensive Bali Hai restaurant, recommended in the guide, served very mediocre if overpriced food, with very mediocre service. However, the Hanalei Mixed Plate, a village take out stand, served superb fresh fish everyday for less than 10 dollars. The food was better, only you ate it outside on wooden tables surrounded by local people as opposed to other tourists. You be the judge of how you want to spend your money. In my opinion, the 8 dollars I spent to rent a boogie board one day yielded far more fun than a 40 dollar restaurant entree could ever manage to do.

If you enjoy touring on your own, this is a great drive along reference. We found many of the things to see were off the main track. Hidden Hawaii guides you to attractions in sequence as you drive. The only thing missing is flora and fauna. This should be the bible for first time Hawaii visitors!

I also disagree with the reviewer who did not find Hidden Hawaii to be helpful... My husband and I purchased Hidden Hawaii to provide us with the opportunities not available in the larger tourist trap books - we were thrilled! We prefer the more secluded, unusual sites, which we were treated to time and again. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a sense of adventure and direction.